Gusseted fitting



Feb. 6, 1940. F. E. FLADER' GUSSETED FITTING Filed Aug. 17. 1937 mvsmon FQEDQIC E. FLADER, BY

ATTORNEY Y Patented Feb. 6, I940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GUSSETED FITTING Fredric E. Flader, Kenmore, N. Y., assignor to Curtis-Wright Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application August 17, 1937, Serial No. 159,459

2 Claims. (Cl. 287-54) This invention relates to structural joints and especially to an improved method and means of joining structural shapes by employing a special form of gusset in a welded joint.

from Figs. 1 and 2 that they are cut to provide for their being welded to the V-shaped gussets along the curved intersections beginning on the tube surfaces at the plane of the axes of the tubes and extending in both directions along the sides of a V following the contact surfaces of intersection with the V-shaped gussets. The weld therefore terminates at a common intersection at the diverging ends of the gussets at the outer changes within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 1. In a welded joint construction, a plurality of intersecting members, a. gusset formed from a substantially diamond-shaped plate bent along 5 In previous practice it has been customary to surfaces of the joint instead of each terminating 5 obtain additional strength, in a welded joint individually, as heretofore. composed of tubular members meeting at an The improved V-shaped gusset plates I8, 20 angle, by employing a corner gusset plate (or and 22 may be previously cut and bent to shape plates) welded into the junction of the memfrom a flat sheet which may be of the same or bers with its plane substantially in the plane lesser thickness than the flat gussets previously 10 joining the axial lines of the said tubular memdescribed, and are formed to a curved shape rebers and such gusset plates have usually been sembling a V with a rounded vertex portion ac-- triangular pieces of flat metal. With a gusset cording to the requirements of the particular of this previous type however it is necessary that joint in which they are used. In assembling a the joint be heated to welding temperature twice; joint of this type the strut members are suitably 15 once for one side of the gusset and again for the held in a jig in the usual manner and the gussets opposite side and, as is well known, such excesare then fitted into their corresponding posisive heating has the direct effect of weakening tions and either tack-welded or otherwise suitthe joint. Not only is the use of relatively thin ably held in place prior to their being per- 90 plates as gussets undesirable from the above manently welded into the integral structure of standpoint but in addition there is a poor disthe joint. The V-shaped gussets I8, 20, and 22 tribution in the transfer of load from one memmay be provided with vent holes as indicated at her to the other which consequently further re- 44 to facilitate the escape of gases and thereby duces the overall joint strength. relieve any pressures which may tend to form 25 In view of the above mentioned defects in within the joint structure due to expansion 25 welded tubular joints it is a principal object of caused by the heat of welding. These holes may this invention to provide a gusset joint that will later be sealed by welding or other suitable methnot necessarily be subjected to excessive heating 0d, preferably when the assembly has cooled sufduring the welding process and which will thereficiently to prevent unnecessary stressing of the 80 fore have a greater overall strength than comjoint, parable joints produced as previously described. It will be noted from the above description It is a further object to provide a type of gusset that in the joint shown in Fig. 1 it is not neceswhich will serve to more favorably distribute the sary to heat any surface on both sides, thereby load and the welded portion over a greater area preventing overheating and damage to the joint 85 of the joint without substantially increasing the structure. The joint of this invention further total linear dimension Of the weld. These and improves over methods heretofore used in that othe j c s Will become pp during h the stresses are distributed over greater areas of Cour Of t e following description the tube walls instead of concentrated along a In the drawing: single central plane as heretofore. The V-shaped 40 1 illustrates a Welded joint employing gussets also make for a neat appearance, an in- 40 gussets according to this invention, tersecting joint which is more readily painted,

2 Shows a p V ew Of the S jo and or kept clean, and in which moving parts such F 3 s ws a cross sectional w tak along as control cables and so forth are less likely to the lines 33 o I chafe or become fouled.

The improved method of this invention pro- Having thus described my invention in detail 46 v des for the use Of p d. or double-walled in a preferred embodiment, it will nevertheless usset plates I8. 20 and 22, in place of the flat be obvious to those skilled in the art, that varitrlanglllar us t use in the joint of prior conous changes and modifications may be made ,structions In p pa n the strut ends of the therein without departing from. the spirit there- 50 secting members l2 and it it will be noted of and I aim to include all such modifications and 50 10 diagonals whereby the resulting double wills approach juxtaposition but remain spaced such that their peripheral edges only are in touching relationship with the adjacent members and a continuous line of welded metal throughout the extent of the said peripheral edges, the said bend forming a straight edge opposite to and remote from the intersecting vertex of said adjacent members. A

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